Method of and means for heating coiled material



7 July 12,1927, 11,35,715

A. s. HOLMES METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR HEATING COILED MATERIAL Filed July 24. 1925 2 Sheets=-$heei 1 Four HEHVEK OF I 6PM: HEHYEK A. S. HOLMES METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR HEATING COILED MATERIAL Filed July 24. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a. i E g r D- E If a 15 I I 0 Z): O 3 l rw 6 o E i L fl [.VVENTOR.

Patented July 12, 1927.

UNITED STATES ARTHUR S. HOLMES, OF OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR HEATING COILED MATERIAL.

Application filed July 24, 1925. Serial No. 45,830.

This invention relates to improvements in method of and means for heating colled material.

Bolts are often forged from heavy wire material, and the wire used is usually in the form of circular coils to provide an endless supply to the bolt forming machine. In forming the heads on the bolts, it is necessary to have the stock hot during the swedging operation. To effectively heat the wire, it is necessary to place the bundle 01"0011 within a furnace at one end, and when the wire is hot it is drawn out at the other end of the furnace and fed to the bolt machine. In drawin the hot wire out of the furnace, it is pul ed direct from the coil. and as the portion of the wire adjacent the discharge end of the furnace is subjected to the highest temperature, it will become hotter and bend more easily than the other portion, and the machine in pulling the wire out of the furnace will cause the hottest portion to straighten out as shown, the rear or cooler portion of the coil or bundle will offer suflicient resistance to permit the hot portion to be pulled straight by the bolt machine. The circular bundles of heavy wire require furnaces of comparatively large size to receive the bundles and in pulling wire laterally from a coil the wire is twisted one complete turn for each convolution pulled off the coil, so that the grain of the metal is twisted and injured thereby. For bolts of the better grade this is objectionable and it is commercially impractical to use square in cross section wire to form spikes having square cross section shank portions.

' Furthermore the comparatively large coils require some means for supporting the coils while heating.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to overcome the before mentioned objectionable features and provide a method of and means for heating coiled material in which the size of the furnace may be materially reduced in size and thereby require less heat to heat the wire to the desired temperature.

A further object is to provide a method of and means for heating coiled material in which the convolutions of wire are self-suportin and the convolutions may be pulled ateral y from the coil and straightened without twisting.

A further ob'ect of the invention is to provide a metho of and means for heating coiled material in which provision is madev for welding the rear end of the coil of wire within the furnace to the front end of the succeed ng coil outside of the furnace so as tpl provide a continuous feed to the bolt mac me.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of and means for heating coiled material which is of simple construction, is strong and durable and is well adapted for the purpose described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved method of and means for heating coiled material and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of a furnace embodying the improved method, the view also showing coils of wire and a fragment of a bolt forming machine, the latter being indicated by dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the furnace;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view of the end portions of two coils of wire showing the manner of connecting them together; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a portion of a coil of wire wound in accordance with the improved method.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 8, indicates a furnace which is of smaller size than the ordinary furnace of standard practice for the same kind of work. The furnace is provided with an entrance or inlet opening 9 at one end and an outlet or discharge opening 10 at its opposite end. A bolt or spike heading machine 11, indicated by dotted lines, is positioned adjacent the discharge opening of the furnace and is adapted to' pull the wire 12 therethrough. Said wire is wound in the shape of a figure 8 as clearly indicated by the numeral 13in Fig.

correspondingly less height therefor requiring less heat to heat the mating chamber 14 of the said furnace. The said furnace chamber is provided with rails or skids 15 which extend outwardly from the rear ortion of the furnace and at their rear en s are supported on a standard 16. As thus arranged the coils of wire may be placed on the rails preparato y to being moved into the furnace. To accomplish this in a simple manner a charging member 17 is provided. This member 17 is formed of two parallel rack bars 18, extending beneath the furnace and supported upon rollers 19. The rear end portions of the bars extend upwardl and are connected to a cross member 20 1n the horizontal plane of the coil of wire so that when the charging member is moved towards the furnace, it will move coil of wire resting on the rails into the chamber of the furnace. A transverse shaft 21 journaled beneath the furnace is provided with gear wheels 22 for reciprocating the charging member 17. A cranked arm 23 is mounted on one end of the shaft 21 for convenience in turning said shaft. The charging member 17 extends around the rails 15 and the standard 16 to permit inward movement thereof. A block 20 mounted on the cross member 20 is provided to compensate for the an ular poil'tion of the coil and engage sides 0 the cm In forming the coils the end portions 13 of each coil or bundle are angled outwardly to provide space and to permit joining the ends for butt welding as indicated by the numeral 24 to form a continuous feed of wire through the furnace and to the bolt machine.

A burner 25 directs a heating medium into the chamber 14.

In operation the coil of wire is placed within the furnace chamber with the forward end of the wire connected to the bolt machine. As the hottest part of the furnace chamber is forward, the wire at this point will get hot the quickest and soon arrives at a forging heat and becomes soft and pliable. At this point the bolt machine or header pulls and automatically straightens the wire and forces the head upon the bolt or spike in a continuous operation. On account of the novel manner of winding the coils, the wire will be pulled straight without twisting and as the rear'outside portion of the furnace is comparatively cool the outer end of the wire of the coil may be butt welded electrically to the forward end of a new coil and the operation continued indefinitely.

As the ortions of the coil become hot and pliable t e pliable portions will separate from the cooler or ri id portion due to the pull of the bolt machine and eliminate all possibility of the hot portions of the wire Welding together. Furthermore the computatively small loops forming the end portions of the coil strengthen the coil and eliminate the use of supports therefor. An

form of bolt heading machine may be use From the fore oing description it will be seen that the met 0d of and means for heatin coiled material is ver sim 1e and well a gated for the purpose esire at I claim as my invention is:

1. Method of heating coiled material, consisting of coiling a length of wire in a figure 8 form, placing the coil within a fur nace and subjectin the forward convolutions to heat and rawing the heated portions of the wire outwardly substantially without imparting a longitudinal twist to the wire for further operation in another ma chine.

2. Method of heating coiled material, consisting of coilin a length of wire in a fi ure 8 form, placing the coil laterally within a furnace and subjecting the forward convolutions to heat and then pullin the heated convolutions of the wire laterafiy outwardly to uncoil the same substantially without imparting a longitudinal twist to the wire.

3. Method of heating coiled material, consisting of coilin a..1ength of wire in a fi ure 8 form, placing the coil laterally within a furnace so that the axes of the coils extend longitudinally with respect to the furnace, sub ecting the forward convolutions of the coil to heat and then pulling the heated convolutions of the wire axially outwardly to uncoil the same substantially without imparting a longitudinal twist to the wire.

4. Method of heating coiled material, c0nsisting of coiling lengths of wire in figure 8 form, placing one of the coils laterally within a furnace so that the axes of the coils ext-end longitudinally with respect to the furnace, positioning a second coil of like wire to the rear of the first coil and welding the abutting ends of the wire of the two coils together, subjecting the forward convolutions of the first coil to heat and then pulling the heated convolutions of the wire axially outwardly to uncoil the same substantially without imparting a longitudinal twist to the wire and when substantially uncoiled moving the second length of coiled wire into the furnace to form a continuous feed of wire through the furnace.

5. Means for heating coiled material, com prising a furnace having an opening at one end for receiving a length of wire coiled in figure 8 form and having an opening at its opposite end for discharging the wire in uncoiled form, tracks extending into the furnace for holding the coils of wire, means for heating the forward coils of wire preparatory to uncoiling the convolutions substantially without lon itudinal twist, a chargiu member positione beneath the furnace an having a portion projecting rearwardly and upwardl to the rear of the wire coils, and a rack an pinion means for movin the rearward prqe'cting portions towar s the furnace to slide the coils therein.

6. Method of heating coiled portions, consisting of coiling portions of a length of wire in figure 8 form, feeding said coils continuously into a. furmaterial having nace and subjecting the forward convolutions to heat and dra the heated portions of the wire on to uncoil the same substantially without imparting a longitudinal twist to the wire.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

ARTHUR s. nomms. 

